The Shadow of the Past
by BookGirl4Ever
Summary: Rose always knew Tom had had a hard childhood but what does Alex Rider have to do with all that? This is my first fanfic.
1. Prolugue

**Ok so this is the first fan fiction I have writer. Ever. I may or may not continue it I probably won't until I get at least 3 reviews. I really really want to know how I did so … review?**

Rose always knew Tom had had a hard childhood. She had known it even before they had married and she sometimes heard him mumble while he slept.

When she first met Tom he had been a mess getting drowned in his career as a football player and a bit after they met, Rose finally convinced him to drop out of it. Now he was a PE teacher. Rose knew that if he had continued his last career he would have been quite famous but it would have destroyed him in the end. They had been married for 5 months now.

"Hey, honey" she said as she opened the door but she didn't hear anything she called out again but still there was no reply, suddenly she was lifted into the air into Tom's arms.

He starts spinning her around and Rose just screamed and laughed hysterically.

"Stop it you idiot." She said when she finally controlled her laughter.

"You know you love it." Said Tom, wiggling his eyebrows.

Rose's reply was cut if by the sound of the phone ringing. Tome answered.

Hi James.

Sure, why not.

Then he descended into laughter at the faces Rose was making at him.

No, I'm not laughing at you.

Ok. Bye.

"James and Leila are coming for dinner." he said.

Rose just nodded her head she had always been baffled by Tom and James's friendship they were really close but there always seemed to be an invisible wall between them.

James and Leila arrived an hour later and Leila joined Rose in the kitchen while the men were talking about politics.

They all sat down at the table later and Tom was merrily talking about their school days. "And then," he said "Ale…" but he suddenly stopped. Rose frowned and looked down at her meal.

*Flashback*

" _You knew what was happening to Alex, I know you did, you two told each other particularly every think and even now you don't tell me anything!" James shouted "He was probably on drugs anyway, I don't believe you when you sat he wasn't"_

"_He wasn't" Tom insisted his eyes bright with anger "Alex was never the druggie everyone thought he was"_

"_Then what was he?" James said _

_Tom opened his mouth as if he was about to say something then he close it. "You don't understand" he said at last._

"_Your right" said James looking furious "I don't" and with that he stormed out leaving behind a very distressed Tom._

_Tom turned around to see Rose gaping at him. "What was that?" she said at last._

_Tom ran his fingers through his hair. "Nothing" he said._

*End of flashback*

The awkward silence was broken by the ring of the doorbell.

"That's strange" said Rose frowning "we aren't expecting anyone"

Tom went and opened the door. Rose immediately ran to the door followed by James and Leila when she heard a sharp intake off breath.

At the door stood a man covered in blood with serious brown eyes. He was smiling.

"Hey Tom, long time no see"

**So what do you think? Should I continue it?**


	2. Chapter 1

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed it means a lot to me, I never thought I would have 13 reviews; I was counting on 4 at the most!**

Everyone just stood there staring until Alex cleared his throat. "May I come in?" he asked.

Nobody replied. "I'll take that as a reluctant yes." said Alex stepping inside and closing the door.

"I thought you were dead" whispered Tom slowly. Alex chuckled. "Now you should know I'm not that easy to kill, my friend"

Tom chuckled and suddenly embraced Alex. "Dear," said Rose breathlessly after a while "would you care to introduce us to your… friend?"

"Oh," said Tom looking at James, Rose and lily as if he had just remembered they were there "of course. This is Alex Rider and Alex, this is my wife Rose James and his wife Leila."

James's expression turned from confused to shocked and then to anger. "Alex Rider?" he asked his voice slightly raised "I haven't seen you for 9 years." He continued in a slightly calmer tone.

Alex shrugged and looked awkward.

"Look, let's clear up some things. I went to school with Tom and James here and I had drug problems," he lied flawlessly ignoring the sharp look Tom gave him "but now I work in the military and they said you needed protection and so I volunteered to come here and you have to move to my house till the threat is exterminated."

Everyone was gaping at him. "Well," said Leila at last "that's a lot to take in at once." Rose nodded. "Why would we need protection?" she asked sharply Alex shrugged "and why are you covered in blood?"

"Oh that." He said "I came here immediately after a rather intense training. Tom would you show me where I can take a shower?"

Rose looked hesitant to let Alex go but Tom quickly rushed Alex up the stairs.

"So" said Tom "what did really happen to you?"

"Life" said Alex then quickly changed the subject "I wasn't expecting a big encounter. I thought I would only have you to answer to. I never even knew you were married! Somehow I never pictured you as a married man."

"Well" said Tom "you're not the only one life has changed." He looked concerned when Alex winced "Are you okay?"

"Came here straight away from a mission" Alex said "got a little concerned when I heard they were after you, so I tried doing everything too fast and got caught, escaped and here I am."

Tom shook his head Alex talked about his mission as if he was talking about the weather.

"Rose is a nurse. Would you want her to take a look?" said Tom.

"Nope" said Alex as he closed the shower door.

"I knew you would say that. There's a first aid kit under the sink, by the way." said Tom from behind the door and he thought heard a gasp and a "thanks" in an agonized tone as he went down to the living room.

Leila, Rose and James were all sitting on the sofa and nobody said anything for a long time.

"Well," said James at last "he has a nerve."

Tom merrily nodded.

**I'm not too sure about this chapter. I honestly don't have an idea what a person says when they see a friend from the past who is supposed to be dead… I also think I have a lot of grammar problems; English isn't my first language…**

**So did you like it? Hate it? Was it too rushed? What do you think should happen next?**


	3. Chapter 2

**I'm going mad. I can't study for my exam tomorrow, I can't sit down, I've called almost all of my seven best friends, walked around my room multiple times and listened to every kind of music from country to hard rock… so I decided to come and add a new chapter to my fanfic!**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed! And remember reviews equal longer chapters and faster updates!**

**Disclaimer (This is for the last two chapters too): I don't own anything you recognize.**

"So he just walks in here and says we have to go to his house for protection?" said James yet again he had been talking nonstop for the last five minutes.

Rose nodded her head not actually hearing what James said. She was thinking of the man who had arrived at her door step a few minutes ago. She looked at Tom, Tom had looked shocked at first but at the moment there was a slight smile on his lips that warmed Rose's heart but as pleasant as it was to see her husband happy she really didn't think they should go with this Alex he had admitted being a drug addict as a kid and then disappears and then suddenly he turns up at his childhood best friend's door step? It all seemed so … strange.

"So, you want proof that I'm not lying?" Rose jumped as she heard Alex's voice. He was standing at the edge of the last step. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who seemed shocked by his sudden appearance.

"yes." Replied James a little uncomfortably though Alex seemed completely relaxed and calm at the same time he was quite intimidating.

Suddenly Rose noticed that Alex was wearing Tom's clothes and it filled her with a ridiculous sense of annoyance. Who did he think he was to just walk into their lives and turn them into something out of an action movie?

"Look," she said glaring at Alex "I don't care if you've been friends with Tom for 50 years I'm not going anywhere till you convince me your not lying."

"Rosie…" Tom said looking exasperated.

"Don't you Rosie me." Snapped Rose at him swinging her long auburn hair over her shoulder. Then she turned to Alex "so?" she asked.

Alex who seemed quote amused to Rose's fury took the phone on the table and punched in a number.

"Tulip, they say they need convincing." And with that he handed the phone to Rose who took it reluctantly.

Military intelligence?

How do I know this isn't all a trick?

Suddenly Rose paled dramatically. "What is he telling her?" said Tom angrily turning to Alex.

Alex shrugged. "Honestly I have no idea, but don't worry." Tom seemed to be doing anything but not worrying.

Of course.

No.

And then she put the phone down.

"Rose?" said Tom anxiously "Rosie?"

Rose seemed to have slipped out of a trance "what?" she said.

"Are you okay?" said Tom looking into her eyes.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." Said Rose distractedly "and they're not lying."

"How do you know?" asked James.

"I just know." Replied Rose leaving no place for questions James looked tense but he calmed down slightly when Leila put her hand on his arm.

"If you believe them," said Leila "we do too. We trust you."

Rose gave a small sob and with that Tom embraced her as she wept.

"Are the people who are after us dangerous?" James asked Alex.

Alex's face was a blank mask. "Very" he said gravely "they will torture and kill you if they find you."

Leila gasped "but what did we possibly do?"

Alex smiled bitterly. "It's not what you did, it's who you knew." he said "we should leave soon."

Rose pulled herself together. "I should go pack a few things." She said running upstairs.

Tom sat on the sofa and Alex sat behind him paying no attention to Leila and James who were talking in whispers.

"You should hate me now," Alex said tonelessly "I have endangered you and Rose, like everyone else that I have ever known."

"I don't hate you." said Tom and Alex looked almost surprised. "I know that you suffer more than anyone, you shouldn't blame yourself for any of this."

Alex gave a hollow laugh that made Tom shiver. "Not blame myself?" he said "don't you know why they came after you? Because there's no one left."

"They got all of them?" Tom said the sorrow was all too visible in his eyes.

"All of them." Replied Alex with a sad smile, Tom looked at his friend's eyes Alex's eyes had always been serious but now his eyes were so clouded with the things that he had seen that they seemed blank.

**So what do you think? Love it? Hate it?**

**I tried to make this chapter a little longer but I didn't have much time I started a fanfic in the middle of my finals! (The education system in my country is quite different and I go to school on Saturdays and Sundays and my weekend is on Fridays and Wednesdays) so my last exam will be finished on Saturday and hopefully I will make the chapters a bit longer after that…**


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